Devprayag..

I stand on the roadside..An outsider among the hordes of pilgrims making their way towards Badrinath.
In this land of Reverence in worship and multitudes that profess unwavering faith, I have become the despicable tourist...
But watching Devprayag -' The Holy Confluence' from where I stand, a union of two revered rivers is nonetheless a spiritual moment for me..



The Alaknanda and the Bhageerati each discerned by a thin line at the center marking the gushing waters apart . It is from this point onwards that they become inextricably related taking on one identity, and flowing in clear articulation as the might Ganges. The cadence of its life giving waters in perfect harmony to work and worship along its busy banks.  On my right I can see the feisty and heedless Alaknanda , muddy with dregs of the mountains she has been along and on the left the clearer Bhagariti, named after a prince and regal in bearing, deceptively fast if the eye cares to see, deep to the discerning. Streaming down from Gurmokh at the foot of the Gangotri glacier, the Bhagirati is the South bound source stream of the Ganges.
Where there is water there shall also be a city and on the banks of the union between these two rivers lies Badrinath.Myth and Lore, Religion and Tradition swirl in the waters below. Legend has it that the temple here was built by Adi Sankara and might have been named after a Berry. As I stand in silence the landslide which has caused us to halt has slowly been cleared away. The trickle of traffic builds momentum and we are called to resume our journey..

Meena Venkataraman